New Contactless Fare Payment To Replace NYC’s MetroCard

NEW YORK CITY, NY — After more than 30 years, New York commuters will say goodbye to a subway staple: the MetroCard.

Starting next year, the yellow piece of plastic that NYC commuters have kept in their wallets will become useless as the city transitions to a new contactless payment system called OMNY.

The change won’t be significant to many, as roughly 94 percent of New York commuters already use a contactless system, like Apple Pay, to access the subway.

"New Yorkers have embraced tap and ride and we’re proud to see that as more and more people return to the city, they are choosing mass transit," said MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. "As the end of MetroCard sales nears, we are focusing on reaching the remaining six percent to make the switch and unlock the benefits and convenience of tap and ride technology.”

OMNY will also be used for travel on subways as well as Select Bus Service (SBS) buses, the Staten Island Railway, the Roosevelt Island Tram, and the Hudson Rail Link bus services.

Commuters can add their OMNY card to their digital wallet on their phone, or use a physical card, which can be reloaded with funds, similar to the outgoing MetroCard.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has already installed 980 OMNY card vending machines across all 472 subway stations. Transit officials say the switch could save the MTA roughly $20 million a year.

The new system also comes with benefits: When riders tap the same card or device for 12 individual trips within a week, they’ll get unlimited free rides for the rest of that week.

The move mimics several other major cities in America that use similar “tap and ride” systems for transit fares, including Chicago and San Francisco.

New York City commuters have until Dec. 31 to purchase or refill their MetroCards. Riders will be able to use the existing balances on their MetroCards in 2026, but will not be able to refill their cards in the new year.

Click here to learn more about OMNY and how to create an account.